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- In the recent case of Amar Jain v. Union of India & Ors., the Supreme Court ruled that meaningful digital access, particularly to e-governance and welfare services, is an essential part of the fundamental right to life and liberty under Article 21.
- The Court directed a revision of digital Know-Your-Customer (KYC) norms to accommodate individuals with facial disfigurements or visual impairments, ensuring accessibility to banking and governance services.
- Emphasizing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, it issued 20 directives to make digital processes inclusive. The Court invoked the principle of substantive equality, underscoring that digital transformation must be equitable.
- It also reaffirmed the State’s constitutional duty under Articles 14, 15, and 38 to ensure digital access for marginalized groups. This decision builds on earlier rulings such as Sabu Mathew George and Anuradha Bhasin, reinforcing that internet access supports fundamental rights including expression, information, and economic activity.
- A recent study over the Bay of Bengal, examining climate impacts over centuries to millennia, revealed a 50% decline in food availability for marine organisms, mainly due to extreme monsoon events intensified by climate change.
- These conditions disrupt the upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters, reducing plankton growth.
- Plankton—comprising phytoplankton and zooplankton—are vital to the marine food chain and contribute to oxygen production.
- The decline in plankton impacts the entire marine ecosystem, leading to biodiversity loss and threatening food security, particularly fisheries.
- Climate change also affects nutrient mixing by weakening oceanic winds and contributes to ocean acidification, lowering pH levels and limiting calcium carbonate availability, which is essential for corals and other marine organisms.
- Globally, initiatives like UNCLOS and MARPOL aim to protect marine resources and reduce pollution. In India, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems work toward safeguarding marine biodiversity and ecosystems.
- The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs recently approved the inclusion of caste enumeration in the upcoming national Census. In India, the Census is a Union subject under Entry 69 of the Union List (Schedule VII) and is governed by the Census Act, 1948, which outlines the responsibilities of census officers and procedures.
- Including caste data in the Census holds legal and policy significance. The Supreme Court, in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992), emphasized that identifying “backwardness” must be based on objective data and subject to regular review by expert bodies.
- A caste census can help in revising the list of socially and educationally backward classes, ensuring better targeting of welfare schemes.
- It can also support the implementation of a ‘quota-within-quota’ system, enabling more equitable reservation distribution among sub-categories. Importantly, caste-based data will enable more evidence-driven, inclusive, and targeted policymaking to address the needs of marginalized communities.